St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-31
A GREAT TRAVELLER.
Muitum in ParvO Makes His In
itial Bow to the Boys of the
Northwest.

Muitum in Paryo Makes His In
itiaI Bow to the Boys of the
Northwest.
Although a stranger to you and your
city, cannot help replying to the in
vitatiOn you gave for commercial tray
elers to send in something for next Sat
urday's edition of the GLOBE, even if
not what might be expected from one
coming from the City of Culture.
First. let me say that | fail to find
words to express my admiration for
ycur valuable paper When 100 miles
or more from your city j CHANGED to
pick up copy, and next to the Boston
Globe, | think the st. Paul GLOBE the
brightest and best have seen in all my
travels. | had heard in hotels and on
railroad trains its merits discussed as a
paper second to none In the United
States. and when / CHANGED to see for
myself l felt that not One-half had been
told. And while sOjourn within reach
of the GLOBE it shall receive my first
morning greeting, if, perchance, find
the necessary Wherewith in my pocket
left from the night before.
When ] read in last Saturdays issue
the new feature you proposed for your
next Saturdays edition ! felt glad an
opportunity was offered the commercial
travellers to speak for themselves
through your paper, and hope they will
respond literally, as | know many of
them are capable of doing, and thus
help carry out your object in making
that number of special interest to the
travelling man. As for myself, L feel
that | should commit an error did | not
send in something, as poor as it may be.
| am commercial traveller, 800 miles
from hOme-perhaps | ought not to say
home, for, unlike most of the boys, |
feel have no home-but from the home
of my friends and my best girl. | am an
exception to the general rule of COM
mercial travellers in more ways than
one. First am no humOriSt, cannot
grind out joke, tell a story or play
poker, and am a man with but few
brains; yet my house keeps me, won't
let me 60, urges me to sell no goods, and
cautions me not to get out of money.
Secondly routes are so long, visit
ing a city so seldom, have not the OPP
pOrtunity of getting acquainted with
the bOys,and hence lose much of the fun
l might otherwise enjoy, consequently l
am good. l can't help it, you see.
There are many good things might be
SttIu Vi lIlt COIliiiClCldl lIdhClCA" lHCy
are not bad set of fellows, oh, no; but
on the contrary, they are, live, shrewd,
honest business men. Men that have
been tried. A picked class, if you
please, otherwise they would not be
trusted by the houses they represent.
There are estimated to be 100000 COM
mercial travellers in the United States,
representing nearly every branch of
commercial industry. They are found
everywhere. There is not city or
town of any size to-day in which they
cannot be seen with their various lines
of samples, from the most costly dla-
monds to the indispensable wooden
tOOth-pick. | have met them from
the farthest eastern town in the
state of Maine to the remOteSt hamlet
in the far West. and from the land
where the magnOlias bloom in January
to the northern border of the great
lakes. | meet them on the streets and
in the stores, in hotels and on railroad
trains. always happy, good natured and
jovial, free-hearted. generous and kind.
You can spot them every time. Never
seen in the police courts, seldom taken
for clergymen, yet the lies they tell and
the sermons they preach keep the
world laughing.
| happen to be one of the vast num-
Der called often times drummers, but
prefer the more dignitied name of COM
mercial traveller, although L am often
called by various names, a commercial
drummer commercial hummer, COM
mercial tramp, and other like names.
and the physicians to whom my duties
call me often call me commercial
bore.
/ have a route perhaps longer than
most any of the vast number referred
to. having commenced it the first day of
Oct, 1856, in Bangor, Ne. was in
structed by my house to go, and went,
and am still going. and God only knows
when | will stop and once more see the
city of baked beans and enjoy the
charming and eXhilarating East wind
freighted with the delightful perfume
it breathes ON its way from old Cape
Cod.
| did not intend to give you so much,
for it is entirely out of my line. | can
make a better pill than | can write an
article for newspaper, and if you pre-
fer one to this | will try to accommodate
you, and let what have written find its
way into your waste basket. | will
simply say further that on this trip
have visited every city of 5000 popula-
ton and upwards in twenty-five differ
ent states, travelled over 10000 miles,
spending Thanksgiving in 1886 in Wash
ington, ID. c., and Christmas the same
year in Pittsburg, Pa, Thanksgiving in
1887 in Chicago, and shall spend Christ
mas this year in your beautiful city,
which to a Yankee is a marvel in its
growth. as well as the push and enter
prise of its people. While | cannot en-
Joy myself as many of my fellOw-travel-
ers can, the privilege of spending Sun
days and holidays with friends, L am
always happy and try to get all the
pleasure l possibly can out of such
life, and am looking ahead with pleas
ure to eating my Christmas dinner in
1888 in Boston. | have an engagement
there on that day. She expects me.
MULTUM IN PARVo.